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Friday, March 6, 2015

Canada in Iraq - Will it become Canada in Syria?

The last CF-18 bombs were dropped on February 24 2015. Prior to that, there was an 11-day lull in activity. That lull is not just for Canadian jets, but for most of the coalition.

The Iraqi Air Force is bombing multiple targets around Tikrit, but coalition forces are standing this offensive out, largely due to the fact it is being led by a controversial Iranian General.

The question now is, will Canadian CF-18s cross the boarder and bomb ISIS targets in Syria? There was a large debate in Canada about the possibility if Assad asked for Canadian help. The concern was, why would you help Assad when the Western World is calling for his dismissal because of the human rights violations in the ongoing civil war. The discussion revolved around, why we would respond to a request from Assad, but not around if we just started bombing targets in Syria.

The CAF's are ready to move into Syria should the government decide that is what they want to do. If the next step is bombing ISIS targets in Syria Capt. Paul Forget says the CAF can easily accommodate such a request. A request Forget says will be a government decision. Forget predicts a lull in coalition activities for a while, as Iraqi forces move forward with offenses not supported by the coalition.

An announcement of an extension of Canada's Operation IMPACT is expected within the next few days, but everyone will be looking to see if the mission perimeters will be expanded and if more Special Forces trainers will be deployed.